Another one bites the dust: journalism giant John Wildermuth ends 34-year news career

Chronicle political writer John Wildermuth, a force on the front lines of California news coverage for more than three decades, ends his career at the paper today — prompting Mayor Gavin Newsom to declare May 22 as “John Wildermuth Day” in his native city, San Francisco.

The decision of Wildermuth to leave the San Francisco Chronicle — where he has worked for almost a quarter of a century — and take early retirement comes as the Hearst-owned newspaper in San Francisco faces tough financial times and has reduced staff members.

“You have probably reported on every topic under the sun,” said California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, in a letter to Wildermuth issued today. “But it was your political coverage that had the biggest impact on our state…you will be missed.”

The creator of the popular “Politics 101″ blog at the paper, Wildermuth is one of California’s most seasoned political writers. In a news career which began in 1975 in Imperial Valley Press in El Centro, he covered an astonishing range of stories and beats.

In politics, Wildermuth reported on the early careers of both then-governor Jerry Brown — now state attorney general — and then-Rep. John Burton, now chair of the state Democratic party.

But he has also written a wide range investigative “follow the money” pieces, in-depth interviews and produced on-the-ground election reporting in mayoral races, the 2003 California recall, as well as races in the U.S. Senate and the White House. He has reported from Presidential inaugurations, national political conventions, major presidential debates, and has logged thousands of miles on the campaign trail.

The Chronicle

John’s popular blog

Wildermuth was one of the “boys on the bus” reporters during the 2000 presidential race, once nicknamed “big guy” by then-candidate George W. Bush; he concluded that exhausting assignment by spending nearly a month in motels around Florida in the lengthy aftermath of the recount. He gave Chronicle readers detailed eyewitness reports about hanging chad, dubious ballots and the final results of that contentious election.

In a career that produced tens of thousands of stories, his trademark was a willingness to ask tough questions of elected officials on both sides, and to show fairness in reporting their stories.

Here’s a personal note about my longtime great partner on the political beat. It’s a cliche to say “end of an era,” but this time, it’s the real deal: John Wildermuth has witnessed a generation of upheaval and change in the world of journalism, a profession he jumped into back in the era of typewriters and cut-and-paste — and ended with You Tube, Twitter and Facebook.

The “big guy” did it all with class. He may go on to other things — but he’ll always represent the very best of the news business.